The Basque Adrian Otaegui continues with its good streak of play and results and this Friday, on the second day of 77 Open the Italia in Brescia, he again signed 67 strokes to reach the shared fifth place in the standings with 134, ten under par, six behind the club-house leader, an undeniable Laurie Canter (68 to 128). The Catalan Adri ArnausWithout a hint of success with the putter, however, he was able to fix something around the turn by signing two birdies on 17 and 18 for 70 strokes and 135 (-9), eighth ex aequo to seven from the head.
Otaegui, 27, winner of the Scottish Championship at Saint Andrews on Sunday, his third win on the European Tour after the Paul Lawrie Match Play (2017) and the Belgian Knockout (2018), scored on his card the same number of birdies as the Eve, eight, and a bogey and a painful double bogey on hole 2, par 3.
Arnaus was in tow all day, bogeying the first par 5 of the round after hitting the water and then couldn’t find a way to make birdie putts; He only managed one in the second par 5, until he managed to win two final blows to the field (a par 3 and a par 5) to add 70 strokes, two under par.
Other Spaniards who had finished their tours in the morning shift were Extremadura Jorge Campillo, who signed 71 shots for 139 (-5), within the top 40, and the Madrid Alejandro Cañizares, par 72 for 141 (-3), at the cutoff limit. In the afternoon the Catalans Emilio Cuartero Y Eduardo de la Riva, and the Madrilenian Gonzalo Fernandez Castaño they joined Otaegui, Arnaus and Campillo heading into the weekend.
Otaegui is not a great puncher, but he continues his streak that led him to victory last week in Scotland, putting 8 more birdies in the bag, which together with 8 on Thursday already make a total of 16. Last week he scored ten in the first round, five in the second, four in the third and another ten in the fourth.
The truth is that it is not easy to chain two weeks of great game and result. More if the first played on a links, with cold, and is in an indoor field, focused on tourists, which has nothing to do with Saint Andrews. And with rain and fog. But Adrián continues to show himself accurate with the putter in his hands. If the playing conditions do not change much, this week we will surely have to go from -20 to win.
Classification 2ª day (par 72):
128 Laurie Canter (GBR)
130 Ross McGowan (GBR)
132 Dean Burmester (SAF)
133 Joachim B. hansen (Din)
134 Adrián Otaegui (Esp)
Robin Roussel (Fra)
Nicolai Hojgaard (Din)
135 Adri Arnaus (Esp)
…
136 Emilio Cuartero (Esp)
137 Gonzalo Fernández Castaño (Esp)
139 Jorge Campillo (Esp)
140 Eduardpo de la Riva (Eng)
